Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Notch pathway”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 577 records · Page 32Linked to original sources

Notch and Ras signaling pathway effector genes expressed in fusion competent and founder cells during Drosophila myogenesis.

Drosophila muscles originate from the fusion of two types of myoblasts, founder cells (FCs) and fusion-competent myoblasts (FCMs). To better understand muscle diversity and morphogenesis, we performed a large-scale gene expression analysis to identify genes differentially expressed in FCs and FCMs. We employed embryos derived from Toll10b mutants to obtain primarily muscle-forming mesoderm, and expressed activated forms of Ras or Notch to induce FC or FCM fate, respectively. The transcripts present in embryos of each genotype were compared by hybridization to cDNA microarrays. Among the 83 genes differentially expressed, we found genes known to be enriched in FCs or FCMs, such as heartless or hibris, previously characterized genes with unknown roles in muscle development, and predicted genes of unknown function. Our studies of newly identified genes revealed new patterns of gene expression restricted to one of the two types of myoblasts, and also striking muscle phenotypes. Whereas genes such as phyllopod play a crucial role during specification of particular muscles, others such as tartan are necessary for normal muscle morphogenesis.

Animals↗

Nicastrin controls aspects of photoreceptor neuron specification and differentiation in the Drosophila eye.

Nicastrin is a component of the Notch signaling pathway involved in proteolytic release of the Notch receptor intracellular domain. It has been postulated that intracellular Notch is required within the nucleus of fly eye progenitor cells to enhance (pro-neural enhancement) and then repress (lateral inhibition) transcription of pro-neural genes. We present here an analysis of Nicastrin function during eye development and find that Nicastrin is essential to early photoreceptor neuron development. Nicastrin mutant tissue displays neuronal loss or hyperplasia; these phenotypes can be rescued by targeted expression of an intracellular form of Notch. Thus, nuclear translocation of Notch and its direct regulation of gene expression appear to be critical to pro-neural enhancement as well as lateral inhibition. In addition, we show that Nicastrin as well as Notch are required to maintain normal R-cell morphology, because the nuclei of mutant photoreceptor neurons cannot maintain their proper position. Thus, Notch signaling plays a role, not only in cell fate specification, but also in differentiation of photoreceptor neurons.

Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases↗

Notchspl is deficient for inductive processes in the eye, and E(spl)D enhances split by interfering with proneural activity.

Eye development in Drosophila involves the Notch signaling pathway at several consecutive steps. At first, Notch signaling is required for stable expression of the proneural gene atonal (ato), thereby maintaining neural potential of the cells. Second, in a process of lateral inhibition, Notch signaling is necessary to confine neural commitment to individual photoreceptor founder cells. Later on, the successive addition of cells to maturing ommatidia is under Notch control. In contrast to previous assumptions, the recessive Notch allele split (Nspl) involves specifically loss of the early proneural Notch activity in the eye, which is in agreement with bristle defects as well. As a result, fewer cells gain neural potential and fewer ommatidia are founded. Enhancement of this phenotype by the dominant mutation Enhancer of split [E(spl)D] happens within the remaining proneural cells, in which Ato expression is abolished. In line with genetic data, this process occurs primarily at the protein level due to altered protein-protein interactions between the aberrant E(spl)D and proneural proteins. Nspl is the first Notch mutation known to specifically affect Notch inductive processes during eye development.

Alleles↗

Epstein-Barr virus genes and cancer cells.

Human B lymphocytes infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) express 11 viral genes, of which six are essential for efficient transformation. The protein products of these genes appear to cause cell growth by modifying cell signal transduction pathways. For example, EBNA-2 mimics the Notch 1 pathway and LMP-1 interacts with the signalling from CD40/CD40-L, which promotes growth in normal B cells. In the human cancers linked to EBV, most of the viral transforming genes are not expressed. It is likely that growth of these cells is controlled by a combination of the EBV genes whose expression continues with altered cell proto-oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes, but other explanations of the role of EBV in cancer cells are also possible. The presence of the virus in the tumour cells of EBV-associated cancers constitutes a potentially useful tumour specific marker that might be used to direct therapy to the tumour cells.

Burkitt Lymphoma↗

Notch signalling in vertebrate neural development.

Signals through the Notch receptors are used throughout development to control cellular fate choices. Loss- and gain-of-function studies revealed both the pleiotropic action of the Notch signalling pathway in development and the potential of Notch signals as tools to influence the developmental path of undifferentiated cells. As we review here, Notch signalling affects the development of the nervous system at many different levels. Understanding the complex genetic circuitry that allows Notch signals to affect specific cell fates in a context-specific manner defines the next challenge, especially as such an understanding might have important implications for regenerative medicine.

Animals↗

Notch signaling directly controls cell proliferation in the Drosophila wing disc.

Notch signaling is involved in cell differentiation and patterning during morphogenesis. In the Drosophila wing, Notch activity regulates the expression of several genes at the dorsal/ventral boundary, and this is thought to elicit wing-cell proliferation. In this work, we show the effect of clones of cells expressing different forms of several members of the Notch signaling pathway, which result in an alteration of Notch activity. The ectopic expression in clones of activated forms of Notch or of its ligands (Delta or Serrate) in the wing causes outgrowths associated with the appearance of ectopic wing margins. These outgrowths consist of mutant territories and of surrounding wild-type cells. However, the ectopic expression of Delta, at low levels in ventral clones, causes large outgrowths that are associated neither with the generation of wing margin structures nor with the expression of genes characteristic of the dorsal/ventral boundary. These results suggest that Notch activity is directly involved in cell proliferation, independently of its role in the formation of the dorsal/ventral boundary. We propose that the nonautonomous effects (induction of extraproliferation and vein differentiation in the surrounding wild-type cells) result from pattern accommodation to positional values caused by the ectopic expression of Notch.

Alleles↗

Notch1 competes with the amyloid precursor protein for gamma-secretase and down-regulates presenilin-1 gene expression.

Presenilin 1 (PS1) is a critical component of the gamma-secretase complex, which is involved in the cleavage of several substrates including the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and Notch1. Based on the fact that APP and Notch are processed by the same gamma-secretase, we postulated that APP and Notch compete for the enzyme activity. In this report, we examined the interactions between APP, Notch, and PS1 using the direct gamma-secretase substrates, Notch 1 Delta extracellular domain (N1DeltaEC) and APP carboxyl-terminal fragment of 99 amino acids, and measured the effects on amyloid-beta protein production and Notch signaling, respectively. Additionally, we tested the hypothesis that downstream effects on PS1 expression may coexist with the competition phenomenon. We observed significant competition between Notch and APP for gamma-secretase activity; transfection with either of two direct substrates of gamma-secretase led to a reduction in the gamma-cleaved products, Notch intracellular domain or amyloid-beta protein. In addition, however, we found that activation of the Notch signaling pathway, by either N1 Delta EC or Notch intracellular domain, induced down-regulation of PS1 gene expression. This finding suggests that Notch activation directly engages gamma-secretase and subsequently leads to diminished PS1 expression, suggesting a complex set of feedback interactions following Notch activation.

Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases↗

Notch signaling imposes two distinct blocks in the differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts.

Notch signal transduction regulates expression of downstream genes through the activation of the DNA-binding protein Su(H)/CBF1. In Drosophila most of Notch signaling requires Su(H); however, some Notch-dependent processes occur in the absence of Su(H) suggesting that Notch signaling does not always involve activation of this factor. Using constitutively active forms of Notch lacking CBF1-interacting sequences we identified a Notch signaling pathway that inhibits myogenic differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts in the absence of CBF1 activation. Here we show that ligand-induced Notch signaling suppresses myogenesis in C2C12 myoblasts that express a dominant negative form of CBF1, providing additional evidence for CBF1-independent Notch signal transduction. Surprisingly mutant forms of Notch deficient in CBF1 activation are unable to antagonize MyoD activity, despite the fact that they inhibit myogenesis. Moreover, Notch-induced antagonism of MyoD requires CBF1 suggesting that the CBF1-dependent pathway mediates a cell-type-specific block in the myogenic program. However, Notch signaling in the absence of CBF1 activation blocks both myogenesis and osteogenesis, indicative of a general block in cellular differentiation. Taken together our data provide evidence for two distinct Notch signaling pathways that function to block differentiation at separate steps during the process of myogenesis in C2C12 myoblasts.

3T3 Cells↗

Control of epidermal stem cell clusters by Notch-mediated lateral induction.

Stem cells in the basal layer of human interfollicular epidermis form clusters that can be reconstituted in vitro. In order to supply the interfollicular epidermis with differentiated cells, the size of these clusters must be controlled. Evidence suggests that control is regulated via differentiation of stem cells on the periphery of the clusters. Moreover, there is growing evidence that this regulation is mediated by the Notch signalling pathway. In this paper, we develop theoretical arguments, in conjunction with computer simulations of a model of the basal layer, to show that regulation of differentiation is the most likely mechanism for cluster control. In addition, we show that stem cells must adhere more strongly to each other than they do to differentiated cells. Developing our model further we show that lateral-induction, mediated by the Notch signalling pathway, is a natural mechanism for cluster control. It can not only indicate to cells the size of the cluster they are in and their position within it, but it can also control the cluster size. This can only be achieved by postulating a secondary, cluster wide, differentiation signal, and cells with high Delta expression being deaf to this signal.

Cell Adhesion↗

The Xenopus homolog of Drosophila Suppressor of Hairless mediates Notch signaling during primary neurogenesis.

The X-Notch-1 receptor, and its putative ligand, X-Delta-1, are thought to mediate an inhibitory cell-cell interaction, called lateral inhibition, that limits the number of primary neurons that form in Xenopus embryos. The expression of Xenopus ESR-1, a gene related to Drosophila Enhancer of split, appears to be induced by Notch signaling during this process. To determine how the activation of X-Notch-1 induces ESR-1 expression and regulates primary neurogenesis, we isolated the Xenopus homolog of Suppressor of Hairless (X-Su(H)), a component of the Notch signaling pathway in Drosophila. Using animal cap assays, we show that X-Su(H) induces ESR-1 expression, perhaps directly, when modified by the addition of ankyrin repeats. Using a DNA binding mutant of X-Su(H), we show that X-Su(H) activity is required for induction of ESR-1. Finally, expression of the DNA binding mutant in embryos leads to a neurogenic phenotype as well as increased expression of both X-Delta-1 and XNGNR1, a proneural gene expressed during primary neurogenesis. These results suggest that activation of X-Su(H) is a key step in the Notch signaling pathway during primary neurogenesis in Xenopus embryos.

Animals↗

strawberry notch encodes a conserved nuclear protein that functions downstream of Notch and regulates gene expression along the developing wing margin of Drosophila.

The dorsal/ventral (D/V) boundary functions as an organizer in the growth and patterning of the Drosophila wing disc and gives rise to the wing margin in the adult fly. Here we show that strawberry notch (sno) is a downstream component of the Notch signaling pathway and is important for the specification of this organizer. sno encodes a novel nuclear protein conserved in C. elegans, mouse, and humans. Mutations in wing margin genes interact dominantly with sno and loss of sno function results in loss of expression of wingless, vestigial, cut, and E(spl)-m8 at the D/V boundary. In regulating these genes, sno functions in close cooperation with Suppressor of Hairless and Hairless. Finally, sno has no role in lateral inhibition suggesting that it may contribute to the specificity between lateral and inductive Notch signaling pathways.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The interactions of LIM protein KyoT with polycomb proteins.

LIM domain protein KyoT interacts with transcription factor RBP-J and modulates Notch signaling pathway. To study the function of KyoT, yeast two-hybrid was performed and proteins interacting with KyoT2 including Ring1 and hPc2 (human polycomb 2) that belong to PcG(polycomb group) were analyzed. The interactions between Ring1, hPc2, and KyoT2 were confirmed by changing vectors in two-hybrid analysis. Their interactions in vitro were confirmed by GST-pull down assay. Two-hybrid assay showed that the LIM domain of KyoT was responsible for interacting with the full-length Ring1 and hPc2. Moreover, the LIM domain also interacted with the C-terminus of hPc2. Interactions of KyoT2 with Ring1 and hPc2 suggested that PcG family might be involved in Notch signaling pathway.

Binding Sites↗

Transcriptional modulation of TCR, Notch and Wnt signaling pathways in SEB-anergized CD4+ T cells.

Gene expression changes in CD4 + Vbeta8+ T cells energized by in vivo exposure to staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) bacterial superantigen compared to CD4 + Vbeta8+ non-energic T cells were assessed using DNA microarrays containing 5184 murine complementary DNAs. Anergy in splenic T cells of SEB-immunized BALB/c mice was verified by dramatically reduced proliferative capacity and an 8 x overexpression of GRAIL mRNA in CD4 + Vbeta8+ T cells taken from mice 7 days after injection. At an Associative t-test threshold of P<0.0005, 96 genes were overexpressed or detected only in anergic T cells, while 256 genes were suppressed or not detected in anergic T cells. Six of eight differential expressions tested using real-time quantitative PCR were validated. Message for B-Raf was detected only in non-anergic cells, while expression of the TCR signaling modulator Slap (Src-like adapter protein) and the TCR zeta-chain specific phosphatase Ptpn3 was enhanced. Modulation of multiple genes suggests downregulation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling and enhanced Notch signaling in the anergic cells. Consistent with previous reports in a non-superantigen in vivo anergy model, mRNA for CD18 and the transcription factor Satb1 (special AT-rich-binding protein 1) was increased in SEB-energized T cells. This is the first report of global transcriptional changes in CD4+ T cells made anergic by superantigen exposure.

Animals↗

The protocadherin papc is involved in the organization of the epithelium along the segmental border during mouse somitogenesis.

The anterior and posterior halves of individual somites adopt distinct fates during somitogenesis, which is crucial for establishing the metameric pattern of axial tissues such as the vertebral column and peripheral nerves. Genetic analyses have demonstrated that the specification of cells to an anterior or posterior fate is intimately related to the process of segmentation. Inactivation of the transcription factor Mesp2, or components of the Notch signaling pathway, led to defects in segmentation and a loss of anterior/posterior polarity. Target genes in mice that could mediate the morphological events associated with segmentation or polarity have not been identified. Studies in Xenopus and zebrafish have demonstrated that the protocadherin, papc, is expressed in an anterior-specific manner in the presumptive somites of the presomitic mesoderm and is required for normal somitogenesis. Here, we examine the role of papc in directing segmentation in the mouse. We demonstrate that papc is expressed in a dynamic pattern within the first two presumptive somites (0 and -1) at the anterior end of the presomitic mesoderm. The domain of papc transcription in somite 0 starts broad and becomes progressively restricted to the anterior edge. Transcription in somite -1 over the same time remains broad. Analysis of targeted null mutations revealed that transcription of papc is dependent on Mesp2. The dynamic nature of papc transcription in somite 0 requires the expression of lunatic fringe, which modifies the activation of the Notch signaling pathway and is required for proper segmentation of somites. Treatment of embryonic mouse tails in a hanging drop culture with a putative dominant-negative mutation of papc disrupted the epithelial organization of cells at the segmental borders between somites. Together, these data indicate that papc is an important regulator of somite epithelialization associated with segmentation.

Animals↗

A Notch-independent function of Suppressor of Hairless during the development of the bristle sensory organ precursor cell of Drosophila.

Su(H)/CBF1 is a key component of the evolutionary conserved Notch signalling pathway. It is a transcription factor that acts as a repressor in the absence of the Notch signal. If Notch signalling is activated, it associates with the released intracellular domain of the Notch receptor and acts as an activator of transcription. During the development of the mechanosensory bristles of Drosophila, a selection process called lateral inhibition assures that only a few cells are selected out of a group to become sensory organ precursors (SOP). During this process, the SOP cell is thought to suppress the same fate in its surrounding neighbours via the activation of the Notch/Su(H) pathway in these cells. We show that, although Su(H) is required to prevent the SOP fate during lateral inhibition, it is also required to promote the further development of the SOP once it is selected. Importantly, in this situation Su(H) appears to act independently of the Notch signalling pathway. We find that loss of Su(H) function leads to an arrest of SOP development because of the loss of sens expression in the SOP. Our results suggest that Su(H) acts as a repressor that suppresses the activity of one or more negative regulator(s) of sens expression. We show that this repressor activity is encoded by one or several genes of the E(spl)-complex. Our results further suggest that the position of the SOP in a proneural cluster is determined by very precise positional cues, which render the SOP insensitive to Dl.

Animals↗

Notch signaling promotes astrogliogenesis via direct CSL-mediated glial gene activation.

In the developing central nervous system (CNS), Notch signaling preserves progenitor pools and inhibits neurogenesis and oligodendroglial differentiation. It has recently been postulated that Notch instructively drives astrocyte differentiation. Whether the role of Notch signaling in promoting astroglial differentiation is permissive or instructive has been debated. We report here that the astrogliogenic role of Notch is in part mediated by direct binding of the Notch intracellular domain to the CSL DNA binding protein, forming a transcriptional activation complex onto the astrocyte marker gene, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). In addition, we found that, in CSL-/- neural stem cell cultures, astrocyte differentiation was delayed but continued at a normal rate once initiated, suggesting that CSL is involved in regulating the onset of astrogliogenesis. Importantly, although the classical CSL-dependent Notch signaling pathway is intact and able to activate the Notch canonical target promoter during the neurogenic phase, it is unable to activate the GFAP promoter during neurogenesis. Therefore, the effect of Notch signaling on target genes is influenced by cellular context in regulation of neurogenesis and gliogenesis.

Animals↗

Targeting promiscuous signaling pathways in cancer: another Notch in the bedpost.

The chromosomal translocation t(7;9)(q34;q34.3) in human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia results in the constitutive activation of Notch (Nic). Reported mutations in Ikaros cause the loss of DNA-binding, which in turn leads to a loss of repressive activity. Recently, these two mutations have been shown to cooperate in leukemogenesis. The current model proposes that the combination of the loss of Ikaros activity and the gain of constitutive Notch activity disrupts the normal balance between repression and activation at common regulatory elements. Furthermore, the model is extended to suggest that multiple transcription factors coordinate transcriptional repression and activation through these common regulatory elements. In leukemogenesis, the breakdown of this coordinate regulation underlies one of the pathophysiological mechanisms. Finally, using Notch as a template, potential points of interdiction by designer therapeutics are discussed.

DNA-Binding Proteins↗

Embryonic lethality in mice homozygous for a processing-deficient allele of Notch1.

The Notch genes encode single-pass transmembrane receptors that transduce the extracellular signals responsible for cell fate determination during several steps of metazoan development. The mechanism by which extracellular signals affect gene transcription and ultimately cell fate decisions is beginning to emerge for the Notch signalling pathway. One paradigm is that ligand binding to Notch triggers a Presenilin1-dependent proteolytic release of the Notch intracellular domain from the membrane, resulting in low amounts of Notch intracellular domain which form a nuclear complex with CBF1/Su(H)/Lag1 to activate transcription of downstream targets. Not all observations clearly support this processing model, and the most rigorous test of it is to block processing in vivo and then determine the ability of unprocessed Notch to signal. Here we report that the phenotypes associated with a single point mutation at the intramembranous processing site of Notch1, Val1,744-->Gly, resemble the null Notch1 phenotype. Our results show that efficient intramembranous processing of Notch1 is indispensable for embryonic viability and proper early embryonic development in vivo.

Alleles↗